Laminated wheel.



No. 846,549. PATENTED MAR. 12, 1907.

- P.L.OLARK.

LAMINATED WHEEL. APPLICATION FILED MAR.3,19U6.

UNITED srnr ns PATENT OFFICE.

PERoY L. CLARK, or CI-LAMPAIGN, ILLINOIS, AssIoNoR T0 EMM A F. CLARK,

or CHAMPAIGN, --1LLINOIS.

LAMINATED WHEEL.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented- March 12, 1907;

Application filed March s, 1906. seal in. 303,937.

1'0 ail whom it may concern.

as. Be it known that I, Pnitc'r L. CLARK, a citi zen of the United States, residing at Chainpai n, in the county of Champaign and State of l linois, haveinvented new and useful Iniprovements in Laminated Wheels, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part thereof.

The purpose of this invention is to provide an im roved construction of wheels, particularly 'or small machinery, especially adapted for gear-pinions, but not limited strictly to that class" of wheels;

The invention consists in a wheel which is made of laminae of sheet metal, thin relatively to but not necessarily thinner than the width of the projections, recesses, or apertures which constitute the features of the wheel when made, assembled, and retained together, as setoutin the claims.

in the drawings, Figure l is an axial so tion of a gear-pinion made according to this invention mounted on its staff. Fig. 2 is a section at the line 2 on Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is an axial section of a ratchet-wheel made accord ing to this invention, having its disks mounted on a hollow hub or staff which constitutespart of the wheel. Fig. 4 is a section at the line 4 4 on Fig. Fig. 5 is an axial section of a combined gear and pinion wheel made accor .ling to this invention, having the disks of which it is con'iposed mounted on a hollow hub or sleeve which constitutes a part of the wheel. Fig. 6 is a section atthe line 6 6 on Fig.6. Fig. 7 18 a section, and Flg. 8 a side elevation, of a combined pinion and gear wheel made according to this invention.

Fig. 9 is a side elevation of a pinion of slightly modified construction This invention is designed to supersedethe method of making toothed wheels which are of considerable width, as in of pinions, but which have comparatively thin teeth, which involvesoutting the tooth one by one, or the method which involves casting or molding the wheels. Both'oi' these methods are expensive, and. very accurate and OOH):- paratively expensive machiney is required to out such gears with any approach to the accuracy necessary for their purposes in the trains in which they are used. I avoid all these expensive methods of producing such wheels by building them up of die-cut lamistaff or pin and being will be perfectly coincident throughout their entire outlines, and will constitute a wheel which will be, in effect, solid, provided only that the disks are laterally contiguous successively. Such disks or die being driven onto a stafl' or P111 singly would be liable to wabble on the same, because of the thinness of the metal affording so narrow base of support or? the staff or pin; but a considerable number of such. disks, all

clean sharp outlines may be formedwith the wheel to be made,-

point for point laminae cut from sheet metal so thin that having apertures out for a drive fit on the V assembled, registerin as described, and compacted against onto other as they are driven thereon serve to so firmly brace each other laterally that the,ag-.

gregation stands rigid, as if it were a solid piece of metal driven onto the alining support or count 1 ion.

I When tLS wheel is one which is to revolve loose on a shaft, the sands method of assembling the disks or laminae to make them brace each other and produce a wheel rigid, as if solid or integral,may be employed by assem;

ed to be-mounted loosely on a shaft passing through the sleeve or on an eccentrically-lqr cated alining-pin. When the disks or lamiuse are assembled directly on a shaft on which the pinion which they constitute is to be rigid; they may preferably beagainst a shoulder on the shaft: I g

In order that the corresponding points of all the disks or laminae may register perfectly, i so as to produce a wheel having the efii J ciency of a solid wheel, the disks should preferably in cutting be rovided in some manner with a feature w ich can be recognized for registration of the disks with each other, so as to bring the points which are on with thesame point of the die coincident. f the 1 wheel in its normal contour has anyirregw' I larity, as an exceptional tooth or anexcep compacted bling the disks on a hollow hub or sleeve, which thus becomes a part ofa wheel, adapt-' r i tional recess, it will serve ass registering l feature; but if it 1s a gear havjmg'umiorm and raiity of such disks or lamina beingx states uniformly s aced teeth, not presenting any coingaeted against the gear-disk D, interfeature easi y recognized for distinguishing one tooth from another, the die will be provided with means for cutting a feature apart from the regular teeth'-as,' for example, a small aperture'and the disks or laminae being then assembled with these a ertures registering will therebyhave all t etee[thlproperly registering.

igs. 1 and 2 I'have shown on a staff A disks orllaminae B,- having uniform teeth, so as to constitute apinion, having a register- 1n feature consisting of a puncture C, a pluassembled compactl contiguouson the aft, be-. ing compacte against the shoulder a, provided for that purpose. A central aperture b of the disks is cut for a drive fit on the shaft, so that the disks being compacted against each'other brace each other, as described, and operate as a .rigid integral wheel. I

In Figs. 3 and 4'there is shown a ratchetlwheel, the, irre ularity of whose outline makes thatputlme constitute a registering "feature; but regardless of this means of registering or alining the corres ending points of the several disks, each of said disks or laminae .'F has the circumference of its centralaperture interrupted or rendered irre ular by an inwardly-protruding tooth f, w "eh takes into a correspondi groove 9 in the hub or sleeve G, on which t e disks are assembled preferably against a shoulder g -the disks aving their central apertures cut for drive fit on said hub and being adapted thereby to brace each other so as to form a wheel of adequate thickness, the corresponding points of whose periphery are perfectly alined by the engagement of the tooth fin the channel g, resulting in a wheel which operates substantially asif it were a single piece of metal instead of a plurality of laminae. The hub or sleeve .G, having any irregularity or departure from perfect circular form, as the groove 9, serves as an alining element when cooperating With disks which have their apertures provided with a-corresponding or counten.

part irregularity, and by the term alining aperture as used in the claims I -intend to denote any aperture which serves this pur- ..pose, either by being eccentrically located or by having some eccentricity in its outline, since, obviously, the alining capacity is obtained in either case.

In Figs. 5 and 6 there is'shown a combined pinion and gear Wheel, of which the pinion portion is made of a l-urality of disks or lamina D, all cut with the same die and having an eecentrically-located alining or registering ape'rtured occupied by an alining-pin e. The central apertures d and the alining aperture d are cut for a drive fit on the hollow hub or sleeve E and on the aliningpin 6,

respectively, onto which they are driven and between them and the flange or shoulor E", thereby making a rigid combined pinion and gear for running loose on the shaft. 7o Eigs. 7 and 8 show a combined pinion and gear wheel formed without a central hub or sleeve. The disks in this wheel have the eccentric alining or registering aperture d, oc-. cupied by an alining-pin e, onto which the disks are driven with a drive fit, so that the.

alining-pin alone performs the function which 5' is in other forms of the device performed by. the central staff, of holding the disks co'mactly contiguous by virtue of thedrive fit. he'disks being thus assembled b being driven onto thealiningin, while a so cantei ed on a staff of suite is diameter passed I through their center openings, the result is a ins, an such constructionis'indicated in ig. 9, which is a side elevation of a inion formed in this'manner, the second a hungin .being, indicated bythe character e; hen two alining-pins are employed, the apertures for them should'not be made diametrically opposite, but rather a little out of line with the center, as shown in Fig. 9 ,so. that the disks cannot be assembledrelativelyreversed, as would be possible if the two alining apertures were in iametric line.

claim v 1. A toothed wheel built up from identino call die-cut sheet-metal disks or laminae, having each two identically-located apertures" for; assembling and securing together the disks with their respective points out by the I' ea ..c point. of the die registered or alined, and 1 r 5 meatns for holding them compactly contiguous-successivel 2. A toothed wheel consisting of a plurality of toothed sheet-metal disks of identical may be dpreferable to employ two aliningoutline, all having acentral aperture and an 5- eccentrically-loca'ted registering feature, in i combination with a rigid element driven tight through the central apertures of the disks, the disks being assembled on the cenx 5 tral element in lateral'contact successively.

3. A toothed metal wheel consisting of, a pluralit of thin sheet-metal disks of identical out ine, having eacha' central aperture and an eccentrically-located registering feature, in combination with a shouldered-shaft 139 roo or stafi onwhich the disks make a drive -fit and are driven against the shoulder and in lateral contact successivel v 4. A toothed metal Wiieel comprising a 55 plurality of thin sheet-metal disks of identi- 1 '2 caloutline, having each a central aperture and an eccentrically-located registering fea- "ture in combination with a. tubular hub or having an annular flange forming a to shoulder, the disks beii assembled with a 5 drive, lit on such tubular uh or staff against said shoulder and in lateral contact successively; I v 5. A toothed metal wheel built up from 'r ;r5 identically die-cut sheet-metal disks or lamif. nee having a central aperture and assembled with their respective points out ii? the same point of the die registered or ahne in combination ,with a central staff on which said disks.

to are mounted with a drive fit compactly contiguous successively.

6. A toothed wheel consisting 'of a plurality of toothed sheet-metal disks of identical outline having an identically-located alining aperture in combination with a, rigid element driven tight through said alining apertures,

the disks being assembled thereon compactly contiguous successively. 7. A toothed wheel consisting of a plurality of toothed sheet-metal disks of identical outline having a plurality of identioally-s tuated alining or registering apertures; r1gid alining elements erdzendim, through sa d apertures respectively and making drive fit with the disks therein, the disks being assembled on such alining elements compactly contiguous successively. A

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand, in the presence of two witnesses, at 2 (.hampaign, Illinois, this 22d day of Febru- 4 ary, 1906.

REROY L. CLARK. 

